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Miami, Florida - VICI Racing and Kumho Tire
are heading for the Miller Motorsports Park this
week to contest the Utah Grand Prix, the fourth
round of the 2008 American Le Mans Series. They are
bolstered by the decision to run a second Porsche
911 GT3 RSR for the first time, and welcome a
top-class driver line-up for the new #18 car.
Three exciting young drivers will be in the cockpit
of the #18 car, and at Utah the trio will all be
driving the VICI Racing Porsche 911 GT3 RSR in race
action for the first time. The team’s new Brazilian
pilot Ruben Carrapasoto will get his first full
cockpit time after impressing everyone during a
handful of practice laps at St. Petersburg with his
assured and fast pace, while we are delighted to
announce the return of Nicky Pastorelli, and the
arrival of his promising younger brother Francesco.
Nicky, former European F3000 Champion and most
recently a ChampCar pilot, is very well known to the
team, as he drove for VICI Racing in the Rolex 24
Hours last year, and also conducted pre-Sebring
shakedown testing of the #5 car. Very highly rated
by all our staff, we are pleased to have him in a
race seat for Utah. In some families, motor racing
oozes through the blood, and it is certainly the
case in the Pastorelli household, Nicky’s younger
brother Francesco is busy carving a name in European
‘staircase’ formulae. He will be making a big step
up to drive in ALMS GT2 but the team is confident
that he is ready to make the transition.
From the tight city streets of St. Petersburg and
Long Beach, the ALMS moves onto the high-speed
Miller Motorsports Park, just 30 minutes from
downtown Salt Lake City in Tooele, Utah, for its
third visit to a purpose-built track that only
opened in April 2006. However after using the
24-turn, 4.5-mile full course during their first two
visits, this year for the first time, the ALMS teams
will be racing on the blindingly quick 15-turn,
3.05-mile ‘perimeter’ course, providing VICI Racing
and Kumho Tire with yet another tough challenge for
their new tire development program before the series
takes an 8-week long early summer break. This track
is around 4,500 feet above sea level, and gets very
hot and dry in the day, adding more variables into
the equation.
VICI Racing and Kumho Tire have put this ambitious
tire development program together in a very short
time, with everyone highly motivated and
enthusiastic about the challenge. Nevertheless, the
team knows a steep learning curve lies ahead
throughout this year, this is a tough challenge, and
by choosing to run the program in full race
conditions from day one, it is a process that will
be carried out in the spotlight. Arriving at Sebring
in March with new personnel and a new Porsche 911
GT3 RSR straight out of the box, the team showed its
professionalism by holding a top-3 position for over
4 hours, only relinquishing it when issues beyond
their control arose. Motor racing though brings
highs and lows, and for St. Petersburg an early
practice crash brought involvement at the Florida
street circuit to a premature end. However the team
fought back with precision to make the grid for the
second consecutive street race at Long Beach a
fortnight later and record a highly satisfying
finish.
During the opening three races the #5 Porsche 911
GT3 RSR has been piloted by Nathan Swartzbaugh and
Craig Stanton, and this lineup, which blends IMSA
GT3 Cup champion Nathan’s youth and speed with
Craig’s proven winning experience, will be back in
the cockpit of the #5 car for the Utah Grand Prix.
The #5 car will be supported by long-term VICI
Racing partner, Wempe, a Germany-based manufacturer
of exquisite timepieces and jewellery, as well as
our two new partners this year: high-precision
turning machine manufacturer, Tornos, and commercial
real estate company, Westway Development.
Just over two years old, the Miller Motorsports Park
provides a demanding challenge with four different
circuit configurations available. On its third
visit, and for the first time, the ALMS series will
this year use the 14-turn, 3.06-mile ‘Perimeter’
Course (also called the Outer Course), which
eliminates all the twists of the entire infield
section and is one of the fastest track layouts in
North America, featuring a 3,500-foot main straight
where speeds will reach 200 mph and with cornering
speeds from 50 to 100 mph.
While the track is basically flat, Miller
Motorsports Park's design incorporates several
significant elevation changes in order to add
character, challenge and unparalleled sightlines for
spectators. The variety of configurations, each with
its own distinct characteristics, enables Miller
Motorsports Park to provide challenges for drivers
and riders of all skill levels while simultaneously
providing exceptional race action for spectators.
Safety was a major consideration in the design
philosophy of Miller Motorsports Park. The circuit
provides significant runoff areas, deep gravel traps
and ample curbing to allow competitors to race hard,
secure in the knowledge that if they make a mistake
there is plenty of room for error designed into the
circuit. Miller Motorsports Park thus justifiably
enjoys a reputation as one of the safest racing
facilities in the world.
Ruben Carrapatoso: “I’m very excited now about Utah,
it will be great to get some decent time in the 911
which seemed very driver friendly when I tried it at
St. Petersburg, everything you expect a Porsche to
be. I have been watching videos of the Utah track to
learn as much as I can about it, and it looks to be
a superb track, very fast and with some great turns.
I have been impressed by the professionalism of the
VICI Racing team, and their commitment, and I can’t
wait to get in the car and hopefully get my ALMS
career off to a good start in Utah, and have a good
result for the team.”
Nicky Pastorelli: “I’m very excited to be driving at
Utah. I know the team well as I drove for them in
the Daytona 24 Hours last year and they are a
professional, dedicated bunch. I’m keen also to get
behind the wheel of the RSR in a race as I did the
car’s shakedown runs pre-season for them and it felt
like a superb race car that has, as we have seen
since, already become a proven GT2 winner. ALMS is
the most professional sports car series around so
I’m looking forward to being involved. Of course
having Francesco in the line-up is a bonus and it’s
great to have him in the car. Ruben is obviously
very fast, so I think we will be the young, hungry
line-up and I’m looking forward to making some waves
and surprising a few people.”
Francesco Pastorelli: “I can wait to get behind the
wheel of the Porsche 911 next week. This will be a
big step up in my career and I’m anxious to prove
that I can repay the team’s faith in my abilities.
I’m grateful to them for giving me this chance and I
intend to demonstrate that I can be a great asset to
the team, starting in Utah. The track looks great
too, very fast; I have been watching previous races
there to understand it as much as I can. Racing
alongside my brother will be fun too, Nicky is a few
years above me and I have learnt a lot from him; he
is quick, and has been very supportive of my own
career.”
Craig Stanton: "It was a real pleasure driving in my
home race at Long Beach with all of the guys at VICI
Racing, and now I'm looking forward to the next race
at Salt Lake City. I know the car pretty well now
and I know I've got a team that will put a great car
under me."
Ron Meixner, Team President VICI Racing: “I’m pleased with the
progress of the new program so far, and the fact
that Utah will represent another big step forward. Kumho
Tire has been working hard to develop new compounds
and we have all learnt a lot after three races.
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